THEATRE
STAGE
Roe Ronda Nancy Bell
In The Continuum Nia Mekeva McNeil
The Color Purple Shug Avery Mekeva McNeil
Tartuffe Madame Pernelle Mekeva McNeil
The Crucible Tituba Matthew Hune
FILM
This Place Sophi Clare Collum
Broken Love Story Emily Connor Leeviraphan
Artist Statement
When you wake up everyday doing the same thing, you can fall into this funk. It’s not a
pleasant funk. It’s this feeling of displacement from whatever you are doing. I fall into this funk
whenever I feel like who I am is not good enough. The one and only time I don’t find myself in
this situation is when I do what I love. I love art. I love creating. I love the very soul reason why
people create and it breathes life into my situation and literally floats me out of my funk. Art
pleases me when no one else can, Art shakes me back to who I truly am, and art makes
questions easier to understand. Power and Art go hand in hand. In my funk I lose power, but I
gain my power in my art. Acting in particular has given me power to withstand my horrible
circumstances. It’s not because I want to be different or because I’ve been acting since I was
little. Acting gives me a chance to breathe when the world closes its grip a little tighter. It’s
apparent that I want to do this, but I hope it’s even more apparent why I need to do this.
Theatre brings a beautiful message, but also a scary message. It can make you feel
uncomfortable and it can make you feel loved. The conversations that spark from theatre are
beautiful and what we learn from on stage or through a camera lens is what we can take into our lives. This art form has become apart of my spirit, it’s my gift even when it makes me frustrated. The reason
why I want to pursue this career is because of the healing powers that it can bring to others. I
have the ability to bring things out of people when I’m acting that will help them
uncover truths that they had never realized they had before. Truth is beautiful and theatre is
an art form drenched in truth.